Curse of the Serpent
by Talos of Siwa
Summary: Alex is going to Hogwarts as a first year,but when he finds a spell-book and learns of a mysterious curse, his life will be changed forever.
1. Chapter 1

_**Curse of the Serpent**_

Green light flashed as a tall man with greasy black hair yelled, "_Avada Kedavra_!" He moved aside to show a pale women lying on the ground, dead. I started forward, moving slowly, as if in water. Right when I was about to hit the man, he spun around. I tried to scream, but to no avail. The man was wearing the Deatheater mask of Lucious Malfoy! He pointed his wand at me, and the light flashed again.

I woke, shaking and covered in sweat. Another nightmare of the unnamed Deatheater. I looked over at the clock, and was jolted into awareness to see what time it was. 12:00pm! I had to get up! Groggily, I rose and dressed.

"Alex! It's here!" I heard my mom yell from downstairs. Before rushing down, I combed my black hair, and checked my pale, blue-eyed face in the mirror. Satisfied, I shot out of the room and to the front door. Perched on the post was an owl, holding today's mail. I paid him a sickle and untied it. Flipping through the letters, something caught my eye. With a gasp, I pulled out the letter, addressed,

Mr. Alexander Radius Stone

12 Griffin Lane

London

Brittan

Mr. Stone,

You are hereby invited to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You will find enclosed a list of the required books and materials and a ticket for platform 9 3/4.

Term begins July 26. We will await your letter no later than that time.

I flipped to the second sheet and read:

First-year students will require:

Uniform

Three Sets of Plain Work Robes (Black)

One Plain Pointed Hat (Black) for day wear

One Pair of Protective Gloves (dragon hide or similar)

One Winter Cloak (Black, silver fastenings)

Please note that all students' clothes should carry name-tags.

Books

_The Standard Book of Spells__(Grade 1)_ by Miranda Goshawk

_A History of Magic __b_y Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasta and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

Other Equipment

1 Wand

1 Cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set of glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set of brass scales

Students may also bring an Owl OR a Cat OR a Toad.

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS.

"Mom, can we please go to Diagon Alley today? Term starts next week!"

"Sure, go get the Floo Powder from the hall closet." I ran to the closet and slammed it open. The shelves were littered with magical items. Crystal balls, ornate wands on stands, Rememberalls, and Sneakoscopes among other things. On the very bottom shelf, there was an ornate ashtray holding green powder. I pulled it out and went to our fireplace. It was large, mostly because it's a magical family's fireplace. It has to be large because it is used almost as often as our front door. Just then, my mom walked in the room.

"Alex, how would you like to go to Diagon Alley on your own?" She asked.

"Cool, that would be awesome!"

"Good, because I just got a message from the office that they needed me today. Here's the bank key, take around a hundred Galleons out of Gringott's." I nodded and took the key from her hand. She pointed her wand at the fire and said, "_Incendio_!" The fire blazed high, than lowered to a perfect transportation height. I tossed in a handful of powder and stepped in.

"Diagon Alley!"

Fireplaces spun past, twirling like fireflies. Up ahead, I saw a sign pointing to a fireplace labeled, 'The Leaky Cauldron'. They put it up because of some famous boy before my time. Larry Totter or something like that. I tumbled out of the fireplace and stuck the landing. I waved hello to the owner, Rubeus Longbottem, then walked out the back door to meet a stone wall. Since I didn't have a wand, I picked up a sizable stick off the ground and tapped the stones that would let me in. The stones began to shift aside and formed an arch. I stepped through and was greeted with the ever familiar picture of Diagon Alley. I began walking down the street, past Flourish and Blott's, until I finally came upon Gringott's'. I walked up to the door. Inscribed upon it was a poem, warning thieves.

Enter, stranger, but take heed  
Of what awaits the sin of greed,  
For those who take, but do not earn,  
Must pay most dearly in their turn.  
So if you seek beneath our floors  
A treasure that was never yours,  
Thief, you have been warned, beware  
Of finding more than treasure there

I pushed open the door, and stepped inside. It was just like it was three-hundred years ago. I walked up to the front desk, past rows of Goblins. Once there, I cleared my throat.

A goblin peered over the desk, and growled out, "Yes?"

"I'm here to make a withdrawal from my family account."

"Do you have the key?"

"Yes, sir. Right here." I held it up and he snatched it out of my hand. He took a magnifying glass out of his pocket and looked closely at the key for about a minute.

He nodded, then said, "Clawfinger, take him to vault seventeen oh nine." He tossed the key to a nearby Goblin. He motioned for me to follow, and we went into a nearby room. We got on a cart and he typed in the digits '1709' on a keyboard. The cart shot off at an immense speed. Lucky I didn't have an ounce of motion sickness. The cart jerked to a stop by two vaults. The only problem was, the two vaults were 1708 and 1710! Clawfinger motioned me off the cart, and stood by the post in the middle.


	2. Chapter 2

**Curse of the Serpent**

He pointed at a cemented-in handprint on the wall and said, "Do it." I was clueless. I walked towards the print and placed my own hand against it. The wall began to ripple and bend, like an illusion. The handprint grew smaller to match my own hand, and then suddenly, the wall moved aside and split. A new vault had appeared. It was black marble, with golden '1709' written across the top. Right in the center was a golden keyhole. Clawfinger stepped to it and put n the key. The black stone began to swirl around. Suddenly, the keyhole began to grow, and the stone, vanish. When it finally stopped twirling, the stone was gone. I stepped inside and turned round and round, taking in my family's true wealth. There were stacks of Galleons, Sickles and Knuts, heaps of jewels, tons of magical objects, and thousands of other items.

I looked around and my eyes chanced upon a bag. I picked it up, and looked inside. Strangely, it was empty, but it was HUGE. It seemed to be able to fit an elephant! Then it dawned on me. It had an Undetectable Extension Charm on it! This would come in handy. I began throwing in Galleons, Sickles and Knuts. As I brushed in the last I thought I would need, I uncovered a strange book. I picked it up, and began flipping through. What I saw amazed me. The very first page said,

The Complete Spell Index

All Spells known to magic kind are contained are contained within these pages, both good and bad.

I flipped to the next page, and was astonished to find that it wasn't a lie:

'A' Spells:

_**Accio**_** (Summoning Charm)**

Ak-ee-oh

**Description:** This charm summons an object to the caster, potentially over a significant distance.

As I flipped through the other pages, I saw spells like, '_Confundo_' and, '_Deletr_ius'. Then, as I flipped back through, I found why the writer included bad in the definition,

_Crucio_ (Cruciatus Curse) **KREW-see-oh** **Description:** **Inflicts unbearable pain on the recipient of the curse. The effects of the curse depend upon the desires and emotions of the character – to produce the "excruciating" pain implied by the name, one must desire to cause pain purely for its own sake or for fulfillment.** **I slammed the book shut, but decided against throwing it away. Instead, I put it in my pack. I memorized the Accio Charm just in case. It would be useful for summoning things back out of the bag, in case the current charm wore off. Looking around, I decided I had enough. I returned to the door and stepped out of the now-giant keyhole. Clawfinger pointed at the cart, so I went and sat down. Then he raised his hand into the air and made a grabbing motion. Instantly, the door began to swirl inward again, although much faster. Within ten seconds, it was sealed as normal again. The key flew into the Goblin's hand, and the walls once again shifted closed. Clawfinger sat back in his seat, and hit the 'Home' button. The cart shot off again.** **Finally, I closed the door to Gringott's behind me. I decided that I wanted an Owl, so I pulled out my map and headed towards Eeylops Owl Emporium. I stepped inside and nearly ran into a boy. He was incredibly skinny with short blond hair. He had a rotten sneer on his face as he carried a grey Barn Owl.** "**Oh, hello," he said, "you going to Hogwarts too?"** **I nodded and said, "Yeah, I'm Alex Stone."** "**I'm Severus Malfoy, but everyone calls me Sean. I guess I'll see you on the train." As he walked off, I knew in my gut that I didn't like him. Shrugging off the feeling, I walked inside. The man inside was rather short with long, greasy brown hair. His face was gaunt and pale, obviously from being in this dark shop for too long.** "**Hello, I am Eeylop the Third. You know what I deal in. Take a look around, and I'll tell you the price." I began searching around for a good owl. Beneath every cage was a magically lit card that had the level of speed and endurance, the quality of breeding, and the type of owl. Finally I came upon a Great Horned Owl.** **I didn't even bother looking at the speed and stuff, I just said, "I want her." I paid out the money and left, holding my new owl.** **After an hour, I had everything but a wand. I was at the entrance to Ollivander's. I opened the door and stepped in. A man stood inside, the same Olivander from Harry Potter's time. ** "**Ah, Alexander Stone. I wondered when I would be seeing you. Here for your first wand, I suppose?"** "**Yes, sir." I said. He went to one of the long shelves and pulled off a box. "Ash, 11 inches, dragon heartstring." He handed it to me. I swished it and a dozen boxes flew off a shelf. He snatched out of my hand and put it back in the box. With a wave of his hand, all of the boxes returned to their shelves.** **For about an hour, I tried a ton of wands, until he said,** "**Willow, 12 inches, Phoenix Feather." As I waved it, a tingling sensation traveled up my arm, and the room brightened to a pleasant degree. "There's the one. Seven Galleons." I paid out and received my new wand. Nonchalantly I twirled the wand between my fingers as I walked out of the shop. I began my way back down the street to the Leaky Cauldron, when I ran into a girl. She had brown eyes and hair, a slightly freckled face, and was wearing the Hogwarts everyday robes.** "**Hi." I said.** "**Hello, I'm Amelia."** "**I'm Alex. Guess you're going to Hogwarts too?"** "**Yeah. Hope I'm in Gryffindor. What kind of wand you get?"** "**Willow, 12 inch, Phoenix feather."** "**Cool, mine's Willow as well, but 11 ½ and Unicorn Hair."** "**Well, see you next week."** "**Yep, bye." **


	3. Chapter 3

**Curse of the Serpent: Chapter 3**

As I entered the Leaky Cauldron, I saw a shady-looking figure standing by the fireplace. He wore a long, tattered robe, with a hood pulled over his face. He reminded me of the Dementers of Azkaban from horror stories. I reached my hand into my pocket and scooped up the last of the Floo Powder. Holding on to my Owl and pack, and ran into the fireplace. Right before I hit, I threw down the powder, and as I stepped in, I said, "12 Griffin Lane, London, Britain!"

The world spun again, but right before I was whisked away, the man reached out of his cloak to try and grab me. I would never forget his hand. It was that of a dead man.

I spun round and round, until I finally saw my fireplace. I rolled inside, causing a couple of shrieks from the Barn Owl. I decided to name her Isis, the Egyptian goddess, matron of Magic and nature. I checked our Magic Location Device, or MLD, and it told me no one was in our house. Our MLD gave a list of anyone in the house. It also told exactly where I or my mom was at any time of the day, unless a powerful charm was on one of us. Mom was still at the Auror's Office.

I knew Wizard Rules by heart, so I knew that if a building housed an adult Wizard and/or Witch, the Trace Charm upon an underage Wizard/ Witch is null and void. That means I could practice Magic. I took out my wand and pointed it into the bag.

My first spell: "_Accio The Complete Spell Index_" Instantly, the book flew out of the bag and landed in my hand. I waited a couple of minutes, the smiled when no letter from the Ministry came. I cracked open the book to a random page and was astonished by what I found:

The Animagus Spell

Unknown to most Wizards and Witches, this is the easiest way to become an Animagus. Using a simple spell, a Wizard will gain the ability of an Animagus. The Animagus form will be that of your Patronus and will be determined by your attitude and feeling at the time of casting the spell, as well as your human appearance.

Spell: _Tribuo mihi vox animagus_

Pronunciation: Tri-b-yew me-hi va-ox an-ih-may-gus

I knew this was an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. What if mom revoked the book from my possession? I had to cast it.

I held my wand pointed at my temple, and said, carefully, "_Tribuo mihi vox animagus_!"

My vision swirled, blurring, then becoming incredibly sharp, then blurred again. Suddenly, I blacked out.

I slowly came back to awareness, but couldn't stand up. My feet felt awkward. In truth, everything felt awkward. I lifted my head, and realized that my vision was sharper; I could easily read the tiny print on a pot across the room. I looked down at my hands to figure out why I couldn't get up. But they weren't hands. They were paws! The shock scared me into a standing position, on all fours. I was a night black cat, the same color as my hair, with white paws. I jumped onto a table, and was surprised how effortless and quiet it was.

But I knew this couldn't last. I leaped back to the floor, and focused on changing into a human. Quickly, I was back. I picked up my wand and book, and then put them away. I went back to the MLD and saw mom was on her way home. I stashed the pack up in my room, and then turned on the Muggle television.

After about fifteen minutes, the door opened. "Alex?" mom called.

"I'm here mom."

She came in and said, "It's really late. You should be sleeping." I looked at the clock, and realized how long I blacked out. It was nearly midnight!

"Sorry mom, time got away from me. Night." I went upstairs, and was quickly asleep.

Over the next week, I practiced Magic or messed around as a cat whenever mom went to work. Otherwise, I did chores or prepared for the year at Hogwarts. I had almost forgotten about the Dementer until the day before Hogwarts started, mom came home.

"Hi, Alex."

"Hi, mom."

"Alex, have you heard of Dementers?" The name sent shivers up my sides.

"Y-yeah, why?"

"We have a problem in the Ministry. A Dementer has gone rouge, and regained some of its human memories. In our records, this Dementer was the man formally known as Barty Crouch Jr. Did you see anything in Diagon Alley?" I knew I ought to tell her the truth.

"Yes, I did."

"What?"

"Well, when I was leaving, something in a tattered robe was standing by the fireplace. I ran past him and threw the Floo Powder in the fire, but he tried to grab at me. I just barely got away."

"I would wonder why you didn't tell me, but I need to report this. See you later. Remember, you have to be up early tomorrow. Get some sleep." I went upstairs to my room and prepared for bed. Before I slept, I checked to make sure the bag was still safely hidden under my bed. It was. Satisfied, I fell on the sheets, but didn't fall asleep until around 1:00am from excitement. Finally, I drifted off.

"Alex, we have to go!" I heard mom yell. I woke up and jumped out of bed, excited. I quickly dressed and grabbed my bag. I ate quickly, and then met my mom in the living room.

"Side-along Apparate or Floo Powder?" She asked.

"Apparate." I had always liked the feeling of Apparating, although I've heard most Wizards don't. She grabbed my shoulder, and soon we were off. It was over quickly, and we were right in between of Platform 9 and 10.

"You know the way in?"

"Yep, bye!" Without a look back, I ran through the stone pillar.


End file.
